Thunderstorm
by ChemicallyEnhanced
Summary: Ritsu's scared of lightning, but Takano is there to comfort him. Fluff.


Disclaimer: I don't own Sekaiichi Hatsukoi because I would never get anything done if I did.

This is just fluff I wrote when I was trying to do homework. Key word: trying.

* * *

Ritsu jumped as another bolt of lightning flashed through the sky. It'd been so long since he experienced a storm this bad, he almost forgot his paralyzing—and rather embarrassing—fear of lightning, that fear of one day being striked by one of those death deliverers. Tonight was especially terrible, as he had fallen asleep during his day off and now he couldn't sleep, partly from lack of doing anything all day and partly from drinking three cups of coffee when he didn't even need them. Ritsu sighed; he really had a caffeine addiction ever since he started working at Marukawa Publishing.

He pulled his blankets over his head when another particularly loud bang sounded outside, seeming much closer this time. His body was tense, ready for another attack. Ritsu nearly wanted to scoff at his childish behavior; he was an adult, for pete's sake! He could handle a bit of—

 _CRACK!_

 _Nope nope nope, he couldn't handle it. He could not handle it._

Ritsu couldn't even hope to drift off to sleep, as his body was too wired from preparing for another barrage of frightening and deadly lightning. He peeked through a hole in the blanket at his clock. _1:36_. Groaning, he remembered that he had to go back to work in the morning, so his plans to just sleep the next day off were canceled. Though, he thought in a moment of silence, sleeping during the day and staying awake at night was a really bad habit that he didn't want to get into.

Another whip of lightning zipped through the sky, making Ritsu whimper quietly. He _really_ hated lightning. If only there were some way he could—

 _No, you will not finish that thought, Onodera. Forget you even thought of it._

Try as he might, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to the man on the other side of the wall, one that simultaneously irritated him to no end and created feelings in him that he'd never gotten from anyone else before. Would his pride—and life, if he were being quite honest with the decision he was making—really be worth tossing aside for some comfort?

Ritsu should have been able to answer that question with a resounding _NO_ , if it weren't for a convenient bout of lightning that seemed to be the loudest one yet. He fumbled with the buttons on his phone, pulling up the number that he wished he didn't have to see so often. It rang, and as a last ditch effort in trying to deny that he needed anything, Ritsu hoped fervently that he didn't pick up.

 _Click_. "Hello?" A very groggy-sounding—and annoyed, Ritsu noted—voice answered on the other side.

No such luck.

He didn't say anything for a few moments, not knowing what to say that wouldn't make him sound too desperate.

"Hello?" The voice said again, now more awake.

"A-ah…Takano-san," Ritsu said faintly, already feeling his face heat up with embarrassment.

There was a pause. "Onodera, you realize that it's 2 AM and I was _sleeping_." A long sigh. "Is there something wrong?"

"Actually, no not really, I have no idea why I even called, really." Ritsu laughed nervously, pulling his blanket tighter around himself. _Why am I not hanging up?_ "I'm sorry for interrupting—"

"Onodera. You moron, why would you call me at such an ungodly hour just to hang up again?" Takano's voice just oozed dry sarcasm, and Ritsu could literally feel the other's eyes rolling in exasperation. "I'll be right over."

"No, wait—" The phone hung up before he could get another word in, right as lightning struck through the sky and Ritsu screamed, more startled than anything at the sudden noise.

There was a knock on his door, and Ritsu managed to shuffle over in his blanket armor to unlock the door, peering up at the man standing outside. "Takano-san, I really apologize for waking you up, but I don't need anything. Please go back to sleep."

What a convenient time for the lightning to come back. Ritsu leapt three feet in the air, causing Takano's eyes to widen in slight alarm before narrowing back to their normal indifferent expression.

"I didn't know you were afraid of lightning, Onodera," Takano teased, taking on that smirk that Ritsu cursed the gods for.

"I'm _not_ , I was just...startled." Ritsu shifted the blanket over himself more soundly and tried his best to glare at Takano. Though it was a futile effort, for he must have looked more petulant than anything else.

Takano only chuckled softly and eased his way into Ritsu's apartment, sparing only a glance at the piles of dirty clothing laying everywhere. Ritsu turned to close and lock his door before hurrying over to where his _boss_ was sitting up on his bed and making himself comfortable _like he lived there_.

"Well?" Takano raised an eyebrow, patting the space in front of him invitingly.

Ritsu scowled at him, if not for his good friend, lightning, to show up again. He basically ran over to where Takano was taking up residence on his bed and flew right into the man's lap, shivering and shaking. Strong arms came up to wrap around him, and he was pulled back into a firm, warm chest. Already Ritsu could feel himself relaxing, even though later he would completely deny any such admission.

Takano slowly laid both of them down, not loosening his hold on Ritsu lest he tense up again and lose even more sleep. Burying his face into that soft brown hair, Takano kissed it lightly, curling around Ritsu and facing towards him. Ritsu could only duck his head into that warm body, his cheeks hot, as he let himself relax in such a loving embrace.

Lips angled towards his ear, and in a soft whisper that Ritsu was sure he would never forget, "Sleep, Ritsu. I'll be here to ward the monsters away. I'll always be here for you."

* * *

-ChemicallyEnhanced


End file.
